Samuel Wilkins, percussionist with the university’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, toured in Chicago during spring break.
Dr. Louis Menchaca asked Wilkins to join the ensemble at the beginning of the spring semester. Wilkins knew joining would mean a touring road trip to Chicago, and he gladly accepted.
The 35 to 40 people in the ensemble played a “mini-tour,” consisting of wind, brass, and percussion instruments, showcasing four concerts within five days.
“That number of people provided a really full sound, especially in these small churches. We went to three different churches and then a school,” Wilkins said. “St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, St. John Lutheran Church in LaGrange, Illinois, another St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and then we played at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.”
With music from Johann Sebastian Bach, Leonard Bernstein, Aretha Franklin, and a How to Train Your Dragon medley, people of all ages could enjoy their music.
“I think we had enough music that reached every single age range that we would be playing for,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins featured on several different instruments, including the drum set, timpani, snare drum, and vibraphone. According to Wilkins, transporting a vibraphone was not the easiest.
The group toured with a bus where they stored their luggage underneath and a truck that drove along with the larger instruments, including the lower brass, percussion, and music stands.
Wilkins was thankful to have been invited along on this journey and expressed his excitement for the future of the Ensemble, with it being Dr. Menchaca’s last year before retirement.
“I enjoyed it a lot. I’m going to be coming back to Symphonic Wind Ensemble from here on out, so I would 100% do it again if I were asked,” Wilkins said.
— Erica Herzog is a writer for the Beacon and a sophomore at Concordia, majoring in Mass Communication and minoring in Law and Politics.